Lagos, Nigeria – In a major victory against human trafficking, 231 Nigerian boys and girls trafficked to Ghana under false pretenses have been successfully rescued and repatriated through a coordinated multi-agency effort spearheaded by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).
The victims, many lured with fake promises of lucrative jobs, were instead forced into internet fraud activities after being handed laptops by their traffickers. Their ordeal came to light following a raid by Ghana’s Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) on an estate where they were being held.
According to Staff Officer Dominic Mensah, head of human trafficking at EOCO, 27 suspected traffickers were arrested during the operation.
“We got intelligence on the location two weeks ago and struck last week. We found underage youths and adults held there. Some were sick, and to prevent a humanitarian crisis, the Ghanaian government decided to repatriate them back to Nigeria,” Mensah explained.
NiDCOM, with critical support from First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, WEMA Bank, and other stakeholders, facilitated the safe return of the victims. Upon arrival in Lagos, the victims were officially handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for profiling, support, and rehabilitation.
A breakdown of the victims’ states of origin showed that Edo State recorded the highest number with 76 victims, followed by Delta (17), Imo (19), Bayelsa (13), and Enugu (12), among others. The ages of the rescued individuals ranged from 15 to 38 years.
Welcoming the returnees, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, assured them of government support, emphasizing that they should not feel ashamed of their ordeal.
“You are being received on behalf of President Bola Tinubu. The President cares about you and every Nigerian, regardless of where you reside. Hold your heads high. For those who want to return to school or learn a trade, support will be provided through your state governments,” Dabiri-Erewa said.
She expressed gratitude to key stakeholders who made the rescue possible, including WEMA Bank for covering transportation costs and providing financial support, Callistus Elozieuwa of NIDO Ghana, the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana, and Airtel for providing starter packs to those who already had their National Identity Numbers (NIN).
Dabiri-Erewa also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to punishing human traffickers.
“They will not go scot-free. Traffickers will be punished. NAPTIP and other agencies will help you reintegrate and find jobs. You have a bright future ahead,” she vowed, calling on state governments to take responsibility for reintegrating victims from their respective states.
In her remarks, Comfort Agboka, NAPTIP Zonal Commander, emphasized that the victims would undergo thorough profiling, while the suspects arrested would be handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for deeper investigations.
Meanwhile, Ghanaian authorities have begun the prosecution of the estate owner and other suspects linked to the trafficking network, signaling a strong stance against transnational human trafficking.
